The barrel design of the UFC Pro Uppercut Bag allows athletes to work upper cuts, knees and traditional punches. The slight spin and different angles of the innovative shape helps athletes improve accuracy and striking power. How can you use the UFC Uppercut Bag in your training?
It's great for throwing uppercuts or for practicing your front knee strikes. Master Trainer, Jesse Thomas, demonstrates how the UFC Uppercut Bag can be used for athletes of any level.
Beginner: Front Knee Strike
An effective beginner move for the uppercut bag is a front knee strike. This strike is delivered straight down the midline of the body, typically the torso or up.
First, make sure you extend both hands forward like you're grabbing somebody in clinch pressing a little body weight down on the bag.
Next, drive your knee up into the bag. This will create a lot of power straight up the middle into the bag. The idea is to deliver this strike with as much power as possible.
As you're driving your knee up you're going to make sure you're elevating on the ball of your foot. Your heel is lifting up off the ground as you drive your knee into the strike, leaning your torso slightly back to counter balance the knee.
The impact should happen more on the quadricep vs. the knee cap. This will provide stronger impact and less strain on the knees.
Intermediate: Uppercut
With this strike you want to drop your body weight a little to throw a punch straight up the midline while the barrel bag simulates more of a body target for the uppercut.
Fist, drop down, bending both knees with your body's center of gravity on both feet.
When you go to punch drop your hand slightly, then using your legs to drive up with power, bring your hand around and back up to create that upward movement towards the bag.
The legs, hips and core are creating the power while the arms are just following through.
Watch a full step by step video of the above techniques: